1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of supports, and to the particular field of pool covers.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many people own pools, either in ground type pools or above ground type pools. Generally, pools must be covered for some part of the year. A problem arises when a pool is covered because water and debris may collect on the cover. This water and debris must be removed from the cover before the cover is removed from the pool. Standing water is not desirable and such water should be removed from a pool cover even if the cover is to remain covering the pool.
While the art contains several examples of systems used to remove water and/or debris from a pool cover, these existing systems have several drawbacks, including cost and time consumption during maintenance and set up and/or disassembly.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for efficiently maintaining a pool cover free of water and/or debris.
To be most efficient, a pool cover should be adaptable to a wide variety of pool sizes and shapes. Many presently-available pool covers are either circular or polygonal and are not amenable to size changes. Therefore, some covers must be modified either in size or shape to fit various sized and shaped pools. Any means associated with such modified pool covers should be amenable to use with such modified pool covers.
Therefore, there is a need for a pool cover support that can be used with a wide variety of pool cover sizes and shapes.
Still further, a pool cover and any accessories associated therewith should be easy to set up and dismantle and easy to store. If these criteria are not met, the pool cover and any accessories associated therewith may not receive as wide a commercial acceptance as possible.
Therefore, there is a need for a pool cover support that is easy to set up and dismantle and is also easy and efficient to store.
Some pool owners already have pool covers in the form of tarps or the like. In order to be most widely accepted, any pool covering system accessory should be amenable for use with such existing equipment. In this way, a pool owner can improve his equipment without expending a great deal of money.
Therefore, there is a need for a pool cover support that can be used with tarps or other such covers that may already be owned by a pool owner.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a means for efficiently maintaining a pool cover free of water and/or debris.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pool cover support that can be used with a wide variety of pool cover sizes and shapes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pool cover support that is easy to set up and dismantle and is also easy and efficient to store.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pool cover support that can be used with tarps or other such covers that may already be owned by a pool owner.
These, and other, objects are achieved by a support for a pool cover which includes a standard mounted on a base that is adapted to rest on the bottom of a pool to be covered and a cover support unit releasably and adjustably mounted on the standard. The cover support unit includes a plurality of S-shaped sleeves releasably and adjustably attached to arcuate bows that are releasably attached to a cover support unit. The bows and sleeves form S-shaped rib units. The cover support unit is fixedly attached to a pole that is releasably and adjustably attached to the standard. Flanges on the sleeves are used to releasably attach the ribs to the side of the pool to be covered.
The support embodying the present invention can be adjusted so a cover supported thereon slopes downwardly from the middle of the cover toward the ends of the cover. Thus, water will flow off of the cover. Any debris on the cover is subject to being washed away by the water flowing off the cover. The gentle S-shape of the sleeves and ribs supports the cover in a secure manner.
The support embodying the present invention has several adjustable joints so the support is amenable for use with a wide variety of cover sizes and shapes. The support of the present invention is also easy to assemble and dismantle and thus is easy to store and is amenable to use with tarps or the like that a pool owner may already own and which may have been customized for his or her pool. Thus such a pool owner need not purchase new tarps or other such covers in order to use the pool support embodying the present invention.
Thus, the support embodying the present invention is versatile, inexpensive and easy to use even with equipment already owned by a pool owner.